Cataract surgery on post radial keratotomy patients

This study aims to evaluate and to compare three different approaches of cataract surgery to patients with previous radial keratotomy（RK）, and to analyze the mechanical properties of the cornea after cataract surgery. Three groups of patients, each one including 8 eyes of patients with 16 RK incisions. The first group includes eyes with the first cataract incision superiorly, the second group in the temporal area, the third group in temporal area and a precautionary stabilizing suture across the RK incision adjacent to the main tunnel. In the first group intraoperative dehiscence occurred in three eyes（37.5%）： it required immediate application of a suture. In the second group dehiscence occurred intraoperatively in two radial scars（20%）： it required immediate application of a suture. In the third group, no intraoperative dehiscences were observed. The stabilizing suture of the RK incision works safer, with a lower risk of dehiscences and less postoperative astigmatism.

PACK-CXL: Corneal cross-linking in infectious keratitis

Background:Corneal cross-linking(CXL)using ultraviolet light-A(UV-A)and riboflavin is a technique developed in the 1990’s to treat corneal ectatic disorders such as keratoconus.It soon became the new gold standard in multiple countries around the world to halt the progression of this disorder,with good long-term outcomes in keratometry reading and visual acuity.The original Dresden treatment protocol was also later on used to stabilize iatrogenic corneal ectasia appearing after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis(LASIK)and photorefractive keratectomy(PRK).CXL efficiently strengthened the cornea but was also shown to kill most of the keratocytes within the corneal stroma,later on repopulated by those cells.Review:Ultraviolet-light has long been known for its microbicidal effect,and thus CXL postulated to be able to sterilize the cornea from infectious pathogens.This cytotoxic effect led to the first clinical trials using CXL to treat advanced infectious melting corneal keratitis.Patients treated with this technique showed,in the majority of cases,a stabilization of the melting process and were able to avoid emergentàchaud keratoplasty.Following those primary favorable results,CXL was used to treat beginning bacterial keratitis as a first-line treatment without any adjunctive antibiotics with positive results for most patients.In order to distinguish the use of CXL for infectious keratitis treatment from its use for corneal ectatic disorders,a new term was proposed at the 9th CXL congress in Dublin to rename its use in infections as photoactivated chromophore for infectious keratitis-corneal collagen cross-linking(PACK-CXL).Conclusion:PACK-CXL is now more frequently used to treat infections from various infectious origins.The original Dresden protocol is still used for this purpose.Careful modifications of this protocol could improve the efficiency of this technique in specific clinical situations regarding certain types of pathogens.

In vivo confocal microscopy: qualitative investigation of the conjunctival and corneal surface in open angle glaucomatous patients undergoing the XEN-Gel implant, trabeculectomy or medical therapy

Purpose:Assessing the quality of the ocular surface by in vivo scanning laser confocal microscopy(IVCM)in primary open angle glaucoma(POAG)patients treated by Xen 45 Gel Stent,medical therapy and trabeculectomy.Methods:Retrospective,single-center,single-masked,comparative study including 60 eyes of 30 patients(mean age 61.16±10 years)affected by POAG.Eyes were divided into 3 groups:Group 1 eyes underwent the Xen 45 Gel Stent procedure,Group 2 eyes were under medical therapy,Group 3 eyes were surgically treated by trabeculectomy.All patients underwent HRT II IVCM analysis of cornea,limbus,conjunctiva,sub-tenionian space and sclera.Results:The Xen 45 Gel stent,if properly positioned in the sub-conjunctival space preserves goblet cells and limits ocular surface inflammation.Regular corneal epithelial cells with micro-cysts,and normo-reflective sub-epithelial nerve plexus are documented by IVCM.In sub Tenon’s implants an alternative lamellar intra-scleral filtration is detectable.Combined surgical procedures show a noticeable number of inflammatory cells with rare micro-cysts.Post-trabeculectomy inflammatory reaction is more evident than Xen 45 Gel Stent associated surgical procedures,but less than medical therapy where a conspicuous presence of Langerhans cells,peri-neural infiltrates,marked loss of goblet cells and fibrosis is visible.Conclusion:Ocular surface inflammation was more notable in topical therapy than after trabeculectomy,which itself causes more inflammation than XEN Gel stents.

In vivo confocal microscopy:qualitative investigation of the conjunctival and corneal surface in open-angle glaucomatous patients undergoing the XEN-Gel implant,trabeculectomy or medical therapy

Purpose:Assessing the quality of the ocular surface by in vivo scanning laser confocal microscopy(IVCM)in primary open-angle glaucoma(POAG)patients treated by XEN 45 Gel Stent,medical therapy and trabeculectomy.Methods:Retrospective,single-center,single-masked,comparative study including 60 eyes of 30 patients(mean age 61.16±10 years)affected by POAG.Eyes were divided into 3 groups:Group 1 eyes underwent the XEN 45 Gel Stent procedure,Group 2 eyes^were under medical therapy,Group 3 eyes were surgically treated by trabeculectomy.All patients underwent HRTII IVCM analysis of cornea,limbus,conjunctiva,sub-tenionian space and sclera.Results:The XEN 45 Gel Stent,if properly positioned in the sub-conjunctival space preserves goblet cells and limits ocular surface inflammation.Regular corneal epithelial cells with microcysts,and normo-reflective sub-epithelial nerve plexus are documented by IVCM.In sub Tenon's implants an alternative lamellar intra-scleral filtration is detectable.Combined surgical procedures show a noticeable number of inflammatory cells with rare microcysts.Post-trabeculectomy inflammatory reaction is more evident than XEN 45 Gel Stent associated surgical procedures,but less than medical therapy where a conspicuous presence of Langerhans cells,peri-neural infiltrates,marked loss of goblet cells and fibrosis is visible.Conclusion:Ocular surface inflammation was more notable in topical therapy than after trabeculectomy,which itself causes more inflammation than XEN Gel Stents.

Long term results of accelerated 9mW corneal crosslinking for early progressive keratoconus:the Siena Eye-Cross Study 2

Purpose:To assess clinical results of the 9 mW/5.4 J/cm^(2) accelerated crosslinking(ACXL)in the treatment of progressive keratoconus(KC)over a span of 5 years.Methods:The prospective open non-randomized interventional study(Siena Eye-Cross Study 2)included 156 eyes of 112 patients with early progressive KC undergoing the Epi-Off 9 mW/5.4 J/cm^(2) ACXL at the Siena Crosslinking Centre,Italy.The mean age was 18.05±5.6 years.The 20-min treatments were performed using the New KXL I(Avedro,Waltham,USA),10 min of 0.1%HPMC Riboflavin soaking(VibeX Rapid,Avedro,Waltham,USA)and 10 min of continuous-light UV-A irradiation.Uncorrected distance visual acuity(UDVA),corrected distance visual acuity(CDVA),Kmax,coma,minimum corneal thickness(MCT),surface asymmetry index(SAI),endothelial cell count(ECC)were measured,and corneal OCT performed.Results:UDVA and CDVA improved significantly at the 3rd(P=0.028),Δ+0.17 Snellen lines and 6th postoperative month,respectively(P<0.001),Δ+0.23 Snellen lines.Kmax improved at the 6th postoperative month(P=0.03),Δ−1.49 diopters from the baseline value.Also,coma aberration value improved significantly(P=0.004).A mild temporary haze was recorded in 14.77%of patients without affecting visual acuity and without persistent complications.Corneal OCT revealed a mean demarcation line depth at 332.6±33.6μm.Conclusion:The 5-year results of Epi-Off 9 mW/5.4 J/cm^(2) ACXL demonstrated statistically significant improvements in UCVA and CDVA,corneal curvature and corneal higher-order aberrations which confers a long-term stability for progressive ectasia.Based on the results of the Siena Eye-Cross Study 2,the 9 mW/5.4 J/cm^(2) ACXL is a candidate to be the natural evolution of Epi-Off CXL treatment for the management of early progressive corneal ectasia,and thus optimize clinic workflow.

Ultrathin Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty versus Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty:a fellow-eye comparison

Background:To compare the visual outcome and patients’satisfaction after ultrathin Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty(UT-DSAEK)and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty(DMEK)performed on fellow eyes of the same patients.Methods:In this retrospective study,the records of 18 pseudophakic patients affected by Fuchs endothelial dystrophy who underwent DMEK in one eye and UT-DSAEK in the fellow eye were reviewed.Best corrected visual acuity(BCVA),corneal pachymetry,keratometry,corneal aberrations,photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity,and endothelial cell counts measured 12 months after surgery in either eye were analyzed and compared.The results of a satisfaction questionnaire were also reviewed.Results:Twelve months after surgery,BCVA was not significantly different in UT-DSAEK and DMEK eyes(0.10±0.04 and 0.07±0.07 logMAR,respectively);at both 4-and 6 mm optical zones total and posterior corneal higher order aberrations(HOAs),posterior astigmatism and total coma were significantly lower after DMEK;BCVA in both groups was significantly correlated mainly with anterior corneal aberrations;contrast sensitivity was higher after DMEK especially in mesopic conditions and at medium spatial frequencies;the endothelial cell density was similar,although slightly higher in the UT-DSAEK group(p=0.10).The satisfaction questionnaire showed that although patients were highly satisfied from both procedures,more than half of them preferred DMEK and reported a more comfortable and quicker postoperative recovery.Conclusions:DMEK and UT-DSAEK showed no evidence of difference in terms of postoperative BCVA,although DMEK had a better performance in terms of contrast sensitivity,posterior corneal aberrations and overall patient satisfaction.